White House Bowling Alley

The Bowling Alley in 2008 (C-SPAN)

That's a 7-10 Split, Mr. President

The White House Bowling Alley is a one-lane bowling alley in the basement of the White House under the North Portico.

Bowling lanes were first built in the ground floor of the West Wing as a birthday gift for President Truman in 1947 (in the location of the present-day Situation Room); Truman didn't care for bowling himself, but allowed staff to start a league. These were moved to the Old Executive Office Building in 1955 to make way for a mimeograph room.

In 1969, President and Mrs. Nixon, both avid bowlers, had a new one-lane alley built (paid for by friends) in an underground workspace area below the driveway leading to the North Portico.